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Posts Tagged ‘Diamonds’

Grading Natural Color Diamonds

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

Natural color diamonds are unique as they exist in almost every imaginable color, size and price range. Colored diamonds will vary from the faintest shade of pastel pink, blue or yellow to the most deep or vivid shade of brown, green or orange. The value of natural color diamonds is based on the rarity, strength and variation of color within each diamond.

Natural color diamonds can vary in color saturation or strength from very faint to an intense vivid color. Just a slight shift in color strength can make a colored diamond affordable. The strength of color is one of the most important factors in determining the value of a natural colored diamond. The value increases with the intensity of the most prominent color within the diamond.

In an attempt to bring some uniformity to the industry description of natural color diamonds, gem analysis laboratories have developed the fancy colored diamond color scale to classify the strength or intensity of a diamond’s color. Generally speaking, such gradient scales and tools are a reflection of human attempt to categorize the color the eye sees and judge it within three parametric areas: color hue, tone and saturation.

Natural color diamonds are evaluated from the “face up” position, meaning gemologists look directly through the top of the diamond. Experts at both the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the International Gemological Institute (IGI) have three parameters by which they describe color for these exquisite stones: hue, tone and saturation.

Color hue refers to the dominant color of the stone, such as pink, yellow, blue. There can also be modifiers or tints, which impart more than one hue to the stone, casting it into a still separate color category. For instance, a purplish-pink diamond indicates a stone with principal pink hue and purplish tints. If no such tints are present, the hue of the stone is said to be a pure primary color.

Color tone refers to how much lightness or darkness a stone appears to retain even when illuminated. The range, obviously, is from light or very light, to dark or very dark.

Color Saturation describes the strength or intensity of the hue or main color. The saturation of light-toned diamonds can vary from a pastel to vivid and intense. Darker diamonds will range from dark to deep in description.

Natural color diamonds are graded by gemological laboratories in very high-tech environments under controlled lighting environments similar to natural daylight. First, diamonds are tested for treatment, synthetic additions or alterations to ensure authenticity. Most laboratories will scan diamonds with a spectroscope to compare readings with their historical data and utilize High-Pressure-High-Temperature (HPHT, the most common process used to enhance the color of diamonds) detection and other proprietary equipment. Gemologists will also use comparison stones and proprietary color chips to compare two diamonds to each other. Though the face-up appearance is ultimately what determines the diamond color, stones are evaluated from other angles as well.

How to Select a Custom Made Jewelry Designer

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

There are many options to choose from when deciding to go with custom made jewelry, Los Angeles has some of the best jewelers around. They are known for their perfectionism and precision. Choosing the right jeweler can sometimes be a tough task, and it can also be more of a headache than it is worth because you want to make sure that you are getting the best jewelry available. If your jeweler is not a good craftsman, then you might end up risking hundreds of dollars and not get what you requested.

There are things that you can do that will make your search for the right jeweler a lot more simple than it may seem. Not all jewelers are the same, and you want to make certain that you are getting your money’s worth. A good jeweler will be able to tell you roughly how your piece is going to turn out. They will be able to help give you ideas where you might lack them when describing what you want. You will also want to make sure that the jeweler that you choose is easy to communicate with. They will definitely act like they know exactly what they are talking about and appear very confident in their profession.

Just because one particular jeweler might have a good reputation does not mean that he or she will be easy to work with. The right jeweler for you will be able to understand exactly what you want, be patient, and friendly to work with. You may want to do a simple investigation of the jeweler’s background to see how much experience he or she has. Knowing the length of experience is always a great way to find out their skill level. Ask to see some of your potential jeweler’s work beforehand so that you can get a good idea of what their style is.

A custom made piece of jewelry is very special. Not every occasion calls for custom made jewelry, but some that do are anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays. Engagement rings are definitely something that should be custom made. Mother’s Day necklaces, Father’s Day rings, and graduation jewelry are other things that should be custom made as well. Your jeweler will have experience in making all types of jewelry, and most importantly, they will put you first.

Jewelry is very expensive, and for good reason. Who doesn’t love jewelry? Don’t you want to make sure that you are getting the best for your buck? There is no reason to just go out and buy what everyone else is wearing. It shouldn’t matter if it is in style or not, your ideas are your ideas, and that is what makes you who you are. Buying other people’s ideas is just a waste of time and money. It never hurts to be a little indulgent from time to time and want things a certain way. You can find that with custom made jewelry, Los Angeles has the best of the best but, there are jewelers all over the world. With a little bit of time and research, you will find your best jeweler.